Boeing Chinook HC4 (ZA714) from the Royal Air Force at the RIAT 2016, RAF Fairford (United Kingdom)
The Boeing Chinook is a tandem rotor helicopter operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). A series of variants based on the United States Army's Boeing CH-47 Chinook, the RAF Chinook fleet is the largest outside the United States. RAF Chinooks have seen extensive service including fighting in the Falklands War, peace-keeping commitments in the Balkans, and action in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The Chinook HC4, standing for Helicopter Cargo Mark 4, is an upgraded version of the Mk2/2A (CH-47D) aircraft with upgraded engines and avionics under Project Julius. The first conversion, a Chinook HC4, first flew on 9 December 2010. Initial operating capability status was reached in June 2012 with 7 aircraft delivered.
The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is the world's largest military air show, held annually over the third weekend in July,
usually at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England in support of The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust.
The show typically attracts a total of 150.000 to 160.000 spectators over the weekend.